Apparatus for bonding the ends of wire ropes



April 26, I938. v F. E.' STAHL APPARATUS FOR BONDING THE ENDS OF WIRE ROPES Filed March 17, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l I mr April 26, 1938. F. E. STAHL 2,115,652

I v APPARATUS FOR BONDING THE ENDS OF WIRE ROPEfS Filed March 17, 1936' 2 Shee ts-Sheet 2 I. 1 mr;

Z 'v-en t'or FRANK E STAHL Patented Apr. 26, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE APPARATUS FOR BONDING THE ENDS OF WIRE ROPES Application March 17, 1936, Serial No. 69,342

6 Claims. (01. 113-99) My invention relates in general to apparatus for holding wire rope which is being cut and subsequently welded. Reference is to be had to ap plication Serial No. 69,341 upon Methods of bonding the ends of wire ropes which contains subject matter common to this application.

It is well known to those skilled in the art that in all wire rope, except that which is initially preformed, the wires and strands will fly apart and become unraveled when the rope is cut through, thus making it necessary when cutting or splicing such rope to provide a number of seizings.

Furthermore, when the rope is to have an anchor attached to the extreme outer end thereof, such seizings obviously cannot be used because they must be located as near the outer end as possible.

The principal object of my invention has been to provide an apparatus for holding wire rope as it is being out without having to provide and to apply seizings to the ends of the rope.

Another object has been to provide an apparatus in which the individual wires and strands at the end of the rope may be securely held against unraveling without the use of seizings while being bonded together.

Another object has been to provide an apparatus which shall be inexpensive to manufacture and convenient to use.

The above objects and advantages have been accomplished by the device shown in the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, where I show the wire rope broken off, it is to be understood that the broken-off part is either connected to the reel of wire rope (not shown) or to the severed length, the other end of which has been previously bonded. In the drawings:

Fig. l is a fragmentary, perspective view of a V length of wire rope having its end severed and bonded in the apparatus of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of my apparatus. Fig. 3 is a plan view thereof. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary, side elevation of my invention, showing a transverse, sectional view,

taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary, transverse, sectional view taken on line 55 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a similar view taken on line 66 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of my apparatus showing a wire rope held therein after being severed.

Fig. 8 is a front elevation showing my apparatus in the positions assumed when the ends of the wire rope are being welded.

In Fig. 1, I show the end iii of a length IQ of wire rope it which has been severed and bonded in my apparatus. As here shown, the ends of the wires and strands have been welded together and a cap H has been welded over the top, thus providing not only a bond for the strands and wires, but closing the end of the rope, sealing in the hemp cord, if the rope is so provided, and thus providing an end which is stiff and rigid and one which cannot unravel.

My invention which is shown in Figs. 2 to 8, inclusive, comprises a bench vise l2 having a front movable jaw l3 and a rear stationary jaw M. The movable jaw is operated by means of the vise screw l5.

Arranged between the jaws l3 and M of the vise are two clamping blocks iii and two clamping blocks i'l arranged in pairs. The blocks iii are arranged at that side of the vise which receives the wire rope it as it comes from the reel (not shown), and the blocks l! are arranged at the opposite side of the vise jaw for the purpose of clamping that portion of the rope which is to-become the severed length 59. The blocks are so proportioned and positioned that a space 29 is provided between them for the accommodation of any suitable mechanical cutting tool, or an oxy-acetylene flame. One of the blocks i6 is pivotally secured to the coacting jaw 23 by means of a pivot pin 26, and the other block is likewise pivotally secured to its coacting jaw it by means of a similar pivot pin 26, see Fig. 6. Each of these pivot pins is arranged with its axis at right angles to the axis of the wire rope or to the axes of the grooves 33 of the blocks, such pivot pins being disposed preferably near the bottom of the block and in the central portion thereof, and each is preferably driven into a suitable aperture formed in the block. The pins have their ends protruding beyond the outer surfaces of the blocks and are pivotally disposed in apertures 2! formed in the jaws of the vise. Each of the blocks l5 and H is provided in its inner working face with a semi-cylindrical groove 33 for the accommodation andclamping of the wire rcpe. The blocks it are held in definite spaced relation with each other by means of a bolt 26, and the blocks i? are likewise held together by means of a similar bolt 28 (see Fig. 5). Each of these bolts passes through an aperture 29 in one of the blocks of each pair and into a screwthreaded aperture 30 in the opposite block of the same pair. The head 3! of each of the bolts is disposed in a countersunk aperture 32, the depth of the aperture being so proportioned in relation to the head M of the bolt that the blocks of each pair can open slightly so as to permit the free passage of the Wire rope therebetween, but the parts are, however, so proportioned that the blocks of each pair will be limited in their relative movement so that they cannot be separated from each other far enough to allow the rope to become disengaged from the grooves 33 and thereby fall out from between the blocks. The adjacent surfaces ZI of the blocks of each pair are so proportioned that there is sufficient clearance between them when the rope is clamped.

One of the blocks I1 is pivotally attached to the vise jaw I3 by means of a screw 36, and the other block I 1 is likewise pivotally attached to the jaw I4 thereof by means of a similar screw 36 (see Fig. 4). Each of the screws 36 is slidably and rotatably mounted in an aperture 3'! formed in each of the blocks IT and screw threaded to its respective vise jaw. The head 38 of each of these screws is disposed in a countersunk aperture 39 formed in each of the blocks, the depth of which aperture is so proportioned in relation to the length of the screw 36 that there is some space between the bottom of the aperture and the bottom surface of the head of the screw, which will permit some motion between each of the blocks and its coacting vise jaws. By this arrangement, each of the blocks I I will be held to its respective vise jaw in such manner that when the movable vise jaw I3 is opened, the blocks I! attached thereto will be moved therewith and separated from the other block IT at tached to the jaw I4. By this construction the end of the rope which is being loosely held by the block I6 may easily enter between the blocks I! when another length of rope is to be severed and bonded.

A stop pin 4| is provided for the blocks I6 and a similar pin 4| is provided for the blocks IT. Each of these pins passes through both of the blocks of each pair and extends a slight distance beyond the outer faces of each block, so as to contact with the upper surfaces of the vise jaws I3 and I 4 and thereby act as stops to limit the inward rotation of the blocks upon their pivots, as shown in Figs. 2, 4, and 5.

When my apparatus is to be put into use, the vise jaws are opened and the wire rope I8 is threaded in between the blocks I6 and also in between the blocks II, the rope coming from the reel (not shown) being moved during such threading operation in the direction of the arrows shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The rope is extended on through the blocks until the place where it is desired to sever the rope is located in the space 20 between the pairs of blocks I6 and IT, a trough and stop (not shown) being provided, if desired, for the reception and support of the wire rope as well as for the gauging of the length thereof. After the rope has been drawn through the blocks I6 and H the predetermined length, the screw I of the vise I2 is used to move the jaw I3 toward the jaw I4 and to thus firmly clamp the wire rope between the coacting blocks I6 and the coacting blocks I'I. As hereinbefore stated, the pairs of blocks I6 and I! are separated so as to provide a space 20 therebetween in which the rope may be severed by any suitabale means. A saw, either hand or power operated, may be used to sever the rope, and in some cases it may be necessary, when a saw is used, to provide a slot (not shown) in the vise jaws for the reception thereof. I have found, however, that an oxy-acetylene flame is a very convenient means of severing the rope, because of the fact that such a flame must be used for welding the strands and wires of the rope together at the rope ends and in the formation of the caps II. After the wire rope has been clamped by the two interspaced pairs of blocks, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, it is ready to be severed in the formation of the length I 9. When the rope is severed by an oxy-acetylene flame, gobs 42 of solidified metal will usually be formed on the severed ends of the rope, as shown in Fig. '7.

After the Wire rope has been severed, as shown in Fig. 7, the screw I5 of the vise I2 is loosened slightly and the workman then grasps the portions of the rope extending outwardly from each of the pairs of blocks I6 and H, and by bearing down upon these portions causes the pairs of blocks I6 and I I to be rotated, the blocks I6 rotating about the pivot pins 26, and the blocks I! rotating about the pivot screws 35. The blocks are rotated through substantially 90, which will bring the ends of the two portions of the rope above the upper edge of the jaws I3 and M of the vise, as shown in Fig. 8. These severed ends will also project slightly beyond the pairs of blocks I6 and I'E, in the position shown in Fig. 8. The workman now, by the use of the oxy-acetylene flame, will burn off the gobs 42 from each of the rope ends, thus making a substantially even end. The workman will then also, by the use of this flame, weld together the wires and strands of the upturned ends and will also deposit metal upon such ends, thereby forming the caps II, shown in Figs. 1 and 8. In such welding and in the formation of the cap, the wires and strands of the rope are welded together so as to make the extreme end of the rope one single integral piece, so that when the welded rope is released from the clamping action of the pairs of blocks I6 and H, the wires and strands cannot become unraveled or fly apart.

It is to be understood that after the rope has been severed and before the ends thereof are welded, the jaws of the vise are loosened just sufficiently to permit the operator to rotate the pairs of blocks I6 and I1 about their pivots, but not enough to release the clamping action of the pairs of blocks upon the wire rope to such a degree as to permit the rope to become unraveled.

After the severed ends of rope have been welded, as above described, the vise jaws are released and the pairs of clamping blocks are again rotated on their pivots in reverse direction so as to bring them to their initial positions where the stop pins 4| will contact with the tops of the vise jaws. The length of rope I9 (capped at each end) is now removed from between the blocks II. If the jaws have not been sufficiently released so as to permit the free passage of the rope between the blocks, the jaw I3 is further opened. As this jaw is opened, it will separate the blocks I'I because of their attachment to the jaws by the pivot screws 36, and thus permit the free passage of the rope therebetween. The wire rope I8 coming from the reel (not shown), with its end capped, is now moved along between the blocks I6 and between the semi-cylindrical recesses of the blocks IT. The rope is continued on until the end engages with the stop (not shown) for the gauging of the next length I9, whereupon the vise jaw I3 is again clamped in position, thus securely holding the rope between the jaws I6 and I1 ready to be severed at the place in the space 20 between the pairs of blocks, as hereinbefore described.

For convenience, in the appended claims, I

have referred to the clamping blocks 16 as primary clamping blocks, and the blocks H as secondary clamping blocks.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. An apparatus for bonding the ends of wire ropes, comprising a clamping vise having jaws, a pair of primary clamping blocks arranged be tween the jaws of the vise for receiving wire rope as it comes from the supply reel, a pair of secondary clamping blocks also arranged between the vise jaws and in interspaced relation with the primary clamping blocks, each of said primary clamping blocks being provided with a pivot pin, engageable with the coacting jaw of the vise, each or" the secondary clamping blocks being pivotally attached to its coacting vise jaw by means of a screw, each secondary block being slidably mounted upon the pivot screw and so arranged as to have a limited axial movement thereon, and each of said blocks being formed in its adjacent face with a groove for the; reception of a wire rope.

2. An apparatus for bonding the ends of wire ropes, comprising a clamping vise having jaws, a pair of primary clamping blocks arranged between the jaws of the vise for receiving wire rope as it comes from the supply reel, a pair of secondary clamping blocks also arranged between the vise jaws and in interspaced relation with the primary clamping blocks, each of said primary clamping blocksbeing provided with a pivot pin, engageable with the coacting jaw of the vise, each of the secondary clamping blocks being pivotally attached to its coacting vise jaw by means of a screw, each secondary block being slidably mounted upon the pivot screw and so arranged as to have a limited axial movement thereon, stops carried by the pairs of blocks for limiting the inward rotation thereof, and each of said blocks being formed in its adjacent face with a groove for the reception of a wire rope.

3. An apparatus for bonding the ends of wire ropes, comprising a clamping vise having jaws, a pair of primary clamping blocks arranged between the jaws of the vise and disposed at one end of such jaws for receiving wire rope as it comes from the supply reel, a pair of secondary clamping blocks also arranged between the vise jaws and disposed at the opposite end of the jaws, said pairs of blocks being interspaced from and independent of each other, a pivot for each of the blocks carried by the vise jaws, stops carried by the pairs of blocks for limiting the inward rotation thereof, said stops being independent of the pivots of the blocks, and each of said blocks being formed in its adjacent face with a groove for the reception of a wire rope.

4. An apparatus for bonding the ends of wire ropes, comprising a clamping vise having jaws, a pair of primary clamping blocks arranged between the jaws of the vise and disposed at one end of such jaws for receiving wire rope as it comes from the supply reel, a pair of secondary clamping blocks also arranged between the vise jaws and disposed at the opposite end of the jaws, said pairs of blocks being interspaced from and independent of each other, each of said blocks being formed in its adjacent face with a groove for the reception of a wire rope, a pivot for each of the blocks carried by the vise jaws, the axis of each pivot being disposed in a plane at right angles to the axis of the groove of the block, stops carried by the pairs of blocks for limiting the inward rotation thereof, said stops being independent of the pivots of the blocks.

5. An apparatus for bonding the ends of wire rope, comprising two pairs of interspaced clamping blocks for holding the rope at fixed, separated points, the blocks of each pair being each formed in its inner adjacent surface with a clamping groove, a separate pivot for each of the blocks, the axes of the pivots of the blocks of each pair being in alignment with each other and at right angles to the axes of the grooves, and single, common operating means for moving the blocks of each pair toward and away from each other in unison, whereby the blocks of each pair will be mounted in substantial alignment with each other.

6. An apparatus for bonding the ends of wire rope, comprising two pairs of interspaced clamping blocks for holding the rope at fixed, separated points, the blocks of each pair being each formed in its inner adjacent surface with a clamping groove, a separate pivot for each of the blocks, the axes of the pivots of the blocks of each pair being in alignment with each other and at right angles to the axes of the grooves, limiting means for each pair of blocks for limiting the opening of the blocks to an amount less than the diameter of the rope, and single, common operating means for moving the blocks of each pair toward and away from each other in unison, whereby the blocks of each pair will be mounted in substantial alignment with each other.

FRANK E. STAHL. 

